Midlife in the United States (MIDUS Refresher 1), 2011-2014

In 2011-2014, the MIDUS Refresher study recruited a national probability sample of 3,577 adults, aged 25 to 74, designed to replenish the original MIDUS 1 baseline cohort and paralleling the five decadal age groups of the MIDUS 1 baseline survey [ICPSR 2760]. The MIDUS Refresher survey employed the same comprehensive
assessments as those assembled on the existing MIDUS sample, but with additional questions about the effect of the economic recession of 2008-09.
The MIDUS Refresher collection is split into two datasets: Aggregate Data and Coded Text Data. The Coded Text Dataset provides coded responses to open-ended question items in the Aggregate Dataset. The survey data collection (Project 1) [MIDUS, ICPSR 2760] consisted of a 30-minute
phone interview followed by two 50-page mailed self-administered questionnaires. Survey data were collected on demographic, psycho-social, and physical and mental health information. This new crosssectional
MIDUS sample allows the examination of period effects on health (mental and physical) related to
the economic recession by comparing the pre-recession MIDUS 1 sample with the post-recession MIDUS
Refresher sample. A further objective of the MIDUS Refresher sample was to strengthen cross-project
analyses in MIDUS by increasing the sample sizes available for testing hypotheses dealing with the interplay
of key factors (e.g., socioeconomic status, gender, psychosocial factors, biological factors) in mid- and laterlife
health. To that end, the MIDUS Refresher sample followed the same multi-disciplinary protocol
established in the main MIDUS sample, in that after completing the survey protocol respondents were
asked to complete a cognitive assessment by phone (Project 3) [MIDUS 3, ICPSR 36346] and later became eligible to participate in
daily diary assessments (Project 2) [MIDUS 2, ICPSR 4652] biomarker assessments (Project 4) [MIDUS 2: Biomarker Project, ICPSR 29282] and neuroscience assessments
(Project 5) [MIDUS 2: Neuroscience Project, ICPSR 28683].
The MIDUS Refresher was funded by the National Institute on Aging as two separate but related efforts: The MIDUS Refresher younger decades (MRY), was fielded in November, 2011, and recruited over 2,100 new participants aged 25 to 54; Funding was later added for the MIDUS Refresher older decades (MRO), which was fielded in June, 2013 and recruited over 1,400 new participants aged 55 to 74.
Demographic variables include age, sex, gender, race, religion, and marital status.